About the San Joaquin
San Joaquin route on left. Proposed California high speed rail corridor on right.
The San Joaquin operates twelve trains (six in each direction) each day between Bakersfield and Stockton. From Stockton, four trains from Bakersfield continue west to Oakland, while two trains proceed north to the state capital of Sacramento. Central Valley communities served include Fresno, Corcoran, Hanford, Lodi, Madera, Merced, Modesto, Turlock/Denair and Wasco. Delta/Bay communities of Antioch, Martinez, and Richmond are also served by the San Joaquin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amtrak_California
The typical San Joaquin train
Quote
A typical San Joaquin train consists of a locomotive and four cars, as follows:
Locomotive (end pointed towards Oakland/Sacramento)
Coach-Baggage Car
Coach Car
Cafe Car
Cab Car (end pointed towards Bakersfield)
or
Locomotive (end pointed towards Oakland/Sacramento)
Coach Car
Coach Car
Cafe Car
Cab-Baggage Car (end pointed towards Bakersfield)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_JoaquinsLocomotive (end pointed towards Oakland/Sacramento)
Coach-Baggage Car
Coach Car
Cafe Car
Cab Car (end pointed towards Bakersfield)
or
Locomotive (end pointed towards Oakland/Sacramento)
Coach Car
Coach Car
Cafe Car
Cab-Baggage Car (end pointed towards Bakersfield)
San Joaquins at Bakersfield
Image by Peter Van den Bossche at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:San_Joaquin_at_Bakersfield_in_2003.jpg
Dueling San Joaquins
Image by SP8254 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp8254/710992454/
The San Joaquin (right) meets a westbound Capitol at Martinez.
Image by SP8254 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp8254/710992352/in/set-72157594293468080/
The platform at Martinez is filled with eager passengers ready to file onto Southbound San Joaquin train 716.
Image by SP8254 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp8254/361143394/in/set-72157606096987618/
The San Joaquin provides Wi-Fi to its passengers.
Image by SP825 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp8254/341323962/in/set-72157606096987618/
Two San Joaquins passing each other.
Image by SP8254 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp8254/340225330/in/set-72157606096987618/
The southbound San Joaquin pulls into the Amtrak Depot in Sacramento. The southbound Coast "Starlate" patiently waits to depart Sacramento.
Image by SP8254 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp8254/303375301/in/set-72157606096987618/
Inside the Cafe Car.
Image by Madbuster75 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/madbuster75/1582507898/
Once in Sacramento, San Joaquin riders can transfer to Sacramento Regional Transit's light rail system. If Jacksonville can embrace rail, sustainability and green initiatives, a similar scene could take place locally with the Skyway, commuter rail and streetcar.
Image by SP8254 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp8254/332279802/
The Amtrak station at Martinez.
Image by SP8254 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp8254/300684205/in/set-72157594325782607/
A southbound San Joaquin at Emeryville.
Image by SP8254 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp8254/3550107583/
Historic Stockton station.
Image by bearexposed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/38443582@N00/3153322492/
The historic Santa Fe Depot in Fresno.
Image by Mrphancy at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrphancy/1353076773/in/set-72157602064644011/
Downtown Fresno.
Image by 1Flatworld at http://www.flickr.com/photos/1flatworld/2787777460/
Arriving in Bakersfield.
Image by NewForumla at http://www.flickr.com/photos/newformula/11250724/
Martinez
Lodi
Richmond
In Richmond, commuters have the opportunity to transfer to other Amtrak services and BART, for access into San Francisco. The Richmond aerial clearly indicates the presence of transit oriented development adjacent to the Amtrak facility.
A frequent intercity rail system allows commuters to stay in smaller communities such as Lodi, Martinez and Richmond, yet still have access to the culture, entertainment and jobs in larger cities like Oakland and Sacramento. A Florida corridor service could do the same for St. Augustine, Green Cove Springs and other communities in Northeast Florida.
Article by Ennis Davis
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JeffreyS
October 22, 2009, 07:58:49 AMWith Amtrak's Southeast HQ in Jacksonville we should be able to embrace their service. I want to ride the WIFI train.
ralpho37
October 22, 2009, 10:29:42 AMLet's get this done.
Captain Zissou
October 22, 2009, 10:44:03 AMI didn't know they were headquartered here.... That makes it seem even more obvious to get this going. Why are we lagging so far behind other cities on getting this underway.
Ocklawaha
October 22, 2009, 10:52:03 AMSkyway of the future, so goes all fixed route transit...
It would seem that the Genius of Jacksonville, has come into the open in recent City Council meetings. We'll probably scrap the Skyway, rather then push it into population or producer communities. We are still blasting away at Bus Rapid Transit, but take comfort in the BRT slogan, "THINK RAIL - RIDE THE BUS!" or "Just like rail - only CHEAPER!"
We've seen JTA drop bus lanes on Blanding, and that promised service enhancements amount to what? One bus every 30 minutes? One or two bus lines with crap for schedules, and we remove an entire lane on one of our busiest roads, how is that going to be anything "like rail". JTA still believes that seizing Jefferson and Broad downtown, Boulevard to Gateway, Lem Turner to I-295 north, Philips to JTB, and the Arlington Expressway, is the future of transit in the city.
When it comes to Streetcars, Light Rail, Skyway, or pogo sticks, their mouths are moving but nothing is coming out, "JTA think." Amtrak, Commuter Rail or any rail including monorail, gets a lively statement in their committee meetings, "Rail is Rail!" BRILLIANT!
The argument that we can't do rail because people in Jacksonville, will not use public transit, is a crock of crap... They don't use it because we don't have it. A single bus every 45 minutes is not service, rather it is a basic accommodation, nothing more.
Take down the Skyway and we supply every anti -transit nut case in the city to point out and say, we built rail and nobody came to ride... Well duh! Try finishing the damn thing while the Federal Railroad Commission or the Federal Transit Administration are handing out blank checks. Shovel ready? Hell this thing is more then that, tear it down and you have sacrificed ALL FIXED TRANSIT for another couple of generations. As we fumble along, watch other Florida/Georgia towns catch and pass us, as we back down the track.
OCKLAWAHA
JeffreyS
October 22, 2009, 11:30:29 AMIt is bad that we did not have an expansion ready plan over the last 2 decades. You can't just wait for a transit friendly administration to come around and then make plans. When the stimulus was announced we should have been able to dust off our skyway plans and send them in. Hopefully our streetcar or commuter rail plans will be ready if the transit push continues.
Ocklawaha
October 22, 2009, 01:22:13 PMYep! Including LODI, which from the 1960's until today, KNOWS the train is the better choice... A bit of memory lane:
LODI - Lyrics - CCR
Seekin my fame and fortune, lookin for a pot of gold.
Things got bad, and things got worse, I guess you will know the tune.
Oh ! lord, stuck in lodi again.
Rode in on the greyhound, Ill be walkin out if I go.
I was just passin through, must be seven months or more.
Ran out of time and money, looks like they took my friends.
Oh ! lord, Im stuck in lodi again.
The man from the magazine said I was on my way.
Somewhere I lost connections, ran out of songs to play.
I came into town, a one night stand, looks like my plans fell through
Oh ! lord, stuck in lodi again.
Mmmm...
If I only had a dollar, for evry song Ive sung.
And evry time Ive had to play while people sat there drunk.
You know, Id catch the next train back to where I live.
Oh ! lord, Im stuck in lodi again.
Oh ! lord, Im stuck in lodi again.
OCKLAWAHA
CS Foltz
October 22, 2009, 02:32:40 PMAll I can do is look with envy!